What power cords have folks found works well sonically with the SCM19AT? Not just directly but elsewhere in the system. Something a little on the warm side. Associated components are PS Audio Directstream dac and Oppo 203, with a HiDiamond 2 power distributor ("conditioner") at the beginning of the chain. I'm in the States, so brands available here to audition are first choice, but open to suggestions from anywhere. Thanks,

Nopiano, If you were sitting here (or in my living room) and I switched three power cords, one audiophile brand I have here to another, or even just one cord in the mains to conditioner position, you would likely immediately notice the difference in warmth (and fullness, presence, clarity).

A lot of things are very subjective and probably make very little difference to the sound but the sum of carefully selected components could make a substantial difference.I definitely don't have the ears to hear minute changes in the sound but I can 100% confirm that any improvements on the electrical chain does make a big difference.I believe good power cords/conditioners get rid of a lot of noise which helps the lower registers the most; cleaner and bigger bass.

I used to connect my previous Zodiac Gold DAC to battery power supply and it made a massive difference, I always ended up turning the volume up more to enjoy the extra clean and full bass!

I agree some of the cables and other components are ridiculously expensive but if you shop around carefully there are some really decent cables which are very good value for money.

MevDinc wrote:A lot of things are very subjective and probably make very little difference to the sound but the sum of carefully selected components could make a substantial difference.I definitely don't have the ears to hear minute changes in the sound but I can 100% confirm that any improvements on the electrical chain does make a big difference.I believe good power cords/conditioners get rid of a lot of noise which helps the lower registers the most; cleaner and bigger bass.

I used to connect my previous Zodiac Gold DAC to battery power supply and it made a massive difference, I always ended up turning the volume up more to enjoy the extra clean and full bass!

I agree some of the cables and other components are ridiculously expensive but if you shop around carefully there are some really decent cables which are very good value for money.

I think when it comes to cable and power in a hi fi vs pro perspective, pros do not deny that there is difference, but it is extremely difficult to tell what is "better"- only what is different. It is a completely subjective judgement. In addition, there are many other quite significant issues that affect the sonics of a system, such as room acoustics, that appear to missing as a priority to many high end cable sellers and users. So pros often look upon this fixation on cables as a shadow argument; first work on room placement of speakers, bass trapping, first reflection absorption, and when you have that right, THEN move on to the smaller details. While hi fi fans look upon pros ignoring cables as an obvious lack of sonic "understanding". Its an interesting conflict in perspective.

I have encountered some pros in the business not wanting to even try cables, which is a shame. There are locations, such as mic to preamp and converter to active speaker, where it can make a huge difference. I have gone into some major studios and demo'd cable for top level mix engineers and really surprised them. But many know that the processes a record goes though that are beyond their control far outweigh the benefits of a better mic cable. There are simply too many steps in the process to see a big improvement of one cable. Rewiring all the miles of cable in a commercial studio is impractical, it would cost hundreds of thousand of dollars! Artists book rooms for a lot of reasons, sonics not always being the top reason (the landmark sonics of Beach Boys Pet Sounds was recorded at East West is one odd sounding room with miles of basic cable). A better engineer could be WAY more important to the recording quality than a mic cable. At the same time, some of the best of the high resolution engineers, who control the entire process, fuss over these details endlessly. Michael Bishop is a good example of that.

highstream wrote:Nopiano, If you were sitting here (or in my living room) and I switched three power cords, one audiophile brand I have here to another, or even just one cord in the mains to conditioner position, you would likely immediately notice the difference in warmth (and fullness, presence, clarity).

I don't doubt that is what you perceive. And generally I am more of a subjectivist than not in audio matters. But I simply cannot think by what mechanism a mains cable could make that type of difference, except with very badly designed electronics in a 'polluted' environment.

However, based on your reaction you seem already to be well on your way to a solution. What did you settle on, and how did it differ to ATC's own cable?

A lot of aftermarket mains cables use the standard cable geometry, but may use higher quality materials and/or shielding. Some manufacturers cables use unique arrangements of conductors and shielding. I've read that simply twisting or braiding conductors together can reduce electrical noise/interference.

The effect some of these after market power cords can have on a system is that they reduce noise. I don't think a power cord effecting a systems sound is that crazy when you look at it this way, especially on digital components which seem to be very sensitive to mains quality, which is why we see linear power supply or battery supply upgrades to components with SMPS's.

MattSPL wrote:A lot of aftermarket mains cables use the standard cable geometry, but may use higher quality materials and/or shielding. Some manufacturers cables use unique arrangements of conductors and shielding. I've read that simply twisting or braiding conductors together can reduce electrical noise/interference.

The effect some of these after market power cords can have on a system is that they reduce noise. I don't think a power cord effecting a systems sound is that crazy when you look at it this way, especially on digital components which seem to be very sensitive to mains quality, which is why we see linear power supply or battery supply upgrades to components with SMPS's.

MattSPL wrote:A lot of aftermarket mains cables use the standard cable geometry, but may use higher quality materials and/or shielding. Some manufacturers cables use unique arrangements of conductors and shielding. I've read that simply twisting or braiding conductors together can reduce electrical noise/interference.

The effect some of these after market power cords can have on a system is that they reduce noise. I don't think a power cord effecting a systems sound is that crazy when you look at it this way, especially on digital components which seem to be very sensitive to mains quality, which is why we see linear power supply or battery supply upgrades to components with SMPS's.

CheersMatt

But Matt, the subject was ATC speakers, not digital components!

I think you'll find my post was about aftermarket power cords and cable geometry, only mentioning digital components at the end.